Oxford

Last night, I had the opportunity of a lifetime, or at least it was for me!  I know many people get to eat in an Oxford hall on a regular basis, but it was certainly a treat for me!

One of my dear friends from high school, Leslie, is currently employed at University College, the oldest college at Oxford.  We've both been busy and jetting off to far off places and been unable to catch up, but we were finally able to make the time and meet up last night!  Leslie has her doctorate in history and is continuing research while also doing a bit of teaching at Oxford.

It was about an hour and a half drive to Oxford, in fact, I'm practically centered in between Oxford and Cambridge.  The sun was shining when I arrived, so Leslie gave me a brief tour of some of the well-known colleges, the High Street and some of her favorite spots in town.  It was a treat to have a friend, and a local, show me around.  It's a beautiful campus, older than we could imagine, with cobblestone streets, green courtyards, old stone buildings, creaky wooden stairs and massive wooden doorways.

Leslie donned her robe and led me into the courtyard of her college where we were greeted by her colleagues and glasses of champagne.  We were led into the great hall where we stood behind our seats while a prayer was read out.  The faculty all had specific places to sit and as Leslie had reserved a spot for me, I too had a special place to sit with my very own name card!  The students ate in the hall as well, but at the other end of the table.

We were fed a beautiful four course meal - this ain't no cafeteria food, y'all!  The food was delicious and elegantly served.  It was so good to see Leslie, someone I have known for nearly 15 years, but someone who I have not had a proper "catch-up" with for quite sometime.  I loved hearing about Oxford, her research, and her life here in England.  We caught up about friends from home and even made time for some intellectual conversations with her colleagues before we "went through" for chocolates and after dinner drinks.

It was a nice evening with just a slight chill in the air, so we sat outside in the courtyard eating chocolates and engaging in lively conversations.  It was a truly fantastic evening, one I won't soon forget!  I was honored to be a guest at Oxford for dinner, but even more thrilled to spend some time catching up with an old friend!